Improved arrangement for extinguishing fires in steam vessels



' air-pu mp for that purpose.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

VILLIAM ARTHUR, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

IMPROVE-1D ARRANGEMENT FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES IN STEAM VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,435, dated April 5, 1859.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM ARTHUR, of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Flooding Steam-Vessels with Tater for the Purpose of Extinguishing Fire; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of myinvention consists in the application of the ample power and supply of water furnished and always ready in every Vessel having a condensing-engine for propulsion, for the purpose of Iiooding the decks or holds of the Vessel in cases of tire by using the power of the engine communicated to the airpump and the discharge-water from the To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure l is a side elevation of that part of a condensin g-en gine used on board steam-vessels, known as the air-pump and hot-well with rising pipe; and Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, all shown in black ink, the same letters in both iigu res indicating similar parts.

A is the bed-plate with that part through which the main center of the side levers is shown.

B is the air-pu mp, which discharges into the hot-well shown in that part inclosed by the dotted lines in Fig. l at O, through which the air and water are discharged, as usual, through the side opening' at D, and air asscending through the rising pipe E, and for the purpose of using this large supply of water constantly at command I attach to this rising pipe E a continuation, as shown in red lines, which Inay be raised to any required height, if necessary as high as the gangway of the paddle-box in side-wheel Steamers, with branch pipes, as at F, to the deck, to the cabins, or to the holds, as may be desirable, and the rising pipe ending with a branch to carry oit the discharge-water should it be allowed to rise that height. For the purpose of l directing the flow of water, I employ valves, and prefer that kind known as sluice-valves, as represented at F and G, which valves can be easily operated on by handles on the deck of Vessel and under the charge ot a tire-warden appointed from the ships crew t'or that office. Immediately,in case of fire, the sluicevalve G is shut, stopping oii the ordinary discharge, the water immediately ascends in the hot-well C up through the pipe E into the continuation (represented in red ink) to the be directed as required. If these valves are shut, it will ascend to the second dischargepipes at I, supposed to-be on deck, which will direct the ow on deck on either side, as required, and if, through inadvertency, the sluice-valve G should be closed, and the other valves, as at F, not opened soon enough to take away the supply of water, the flow of water will be carried od by the discharge-pipe J over the side of vessel. There are circumstances of construction of engines that may vary the lnanner of attaching this pipe to the dischargepipe; but the manner as shown in the drawing appears to be most suited to that style of engine known as side-lever engines,or the ascending pipe Inay be inserted into an airvessel for the purpose of relieving the airpump from the shock when the bucket strikes the water, all which are well known to persons employed in such constructions.

Having thus described the means I employ for obtaining a supply of water and the mode ot` operating the same, what I claim as my i11- vention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The application of the waste water discharged from the air-pump raised to such height as ood the steam vessel with water for the purpose of extinguishing fire, as herein described, instead of discharging it, as usual, as waste water from the sides of the vessel.

WILLIAM ARTHUR. Vitnesses:

JOHN ROBERTSON, WILLIAM ARTHUR, J r.

first discharge-pipe at I-I, where the water may I 

